Pair to go on trial over death of man at Lisburn PSNI station

A PSNI sergeant and a former civilian detention officer have been sent for trial for the manslaughter of a man who died while in a police cell.

Sergeant Brian McKenna and former detention officer Alexander McAllister are both accused of the manslaughter of David McGowan on May 30, 2014.

The pair are also accused of misconduct in public office, in that in their respective roles they “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification neglected to perform a duty of care” to Mr McGowan on a date between May 28 and 31.

David McGowan, (28) from Lisburn, was arrested in May 2014 after an incident on the Beersbridge Road in east Belfast.

He was found dead in a cell at Lisburn PSNI station hours later.

The charges follow an investigation by the Police Ombudsman.

In the aftermath of Mr McGowan’s death, investigators from the Police Ombudsman interviewed members of his family, and witnesses to the incident.

The case against both men was adjourned yesterday to Craigavon Crown Court on January 10, 2017.